Recipe Makeover: Bubble Up Enchilada Casserole

You may be thinking “haven’t I see this recipe on here before?” and if you are, the answer is…kind of. Bubble Up Enchilada Casserole is one of the first recipes I ever posted and it’s been one of the most popular as well. While I’ve always been a big fan of the flavors (what’s not to like?) I never found the original very filling for the points. I actually wavered about whether to post it in the first place. When people would rave about the recipe, I used to think “really?” because although it was delicious, it just didn’t satisfy me.

I’ve been meaning to make some adjustments to the recipe for a while now, especially since some of the ingredients I originally used have become difficult to find. This time I used leaner ground turkey (and more of it), regular (as opposed to reduced fat) biscuits, a little less cheese and I added a can of black beans to make the dish more filling. I know a lot of people really liked the original recipe, but I urge you to try it this way – it’s so much better! I was definitely satisfied with one serving and I loved the addition of black beans to the flavor profile. This is the way I wish the recipe had turned out the first time! I’m keeping the old version on the site, but even if you loved it that way I think you should give this makeover a try. You won’t regret it!

Directions:

Add the enchilada sauce, tomato sauce and black beans and stir to combine. Stir the biscuit pieces into the meat mixture.

Transfer the entire mixture to the prepared baking dish and spread out evenly. Bake for 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and sprinkle the cheese on top. Bake an additional 10 minutes. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.

Weight Watchers SmartPoints:7 per serving (SP calculated using the recipe builder on weightwatchers.com)

FYI, just for funsies, if you have a large cast iron pan, you can brown the meat in that, mix in everything and just pop it straight into the oven. It cooks up great and makes it a truly ONE DISH meal. 🙂 I’m making this tonight and trying it with the black beans!

I made some tweaks to your original recipe that you may want to try! I use mild green chile enchilada sauce instead of red, add some cumin and garlic powder while browning the meat and I also add about 1/2 of an onion, chopped. Gives the flavor a little more depth and is super delicious!

This recipe is in the oven as we speak! I substituted boneless, skinless chicken breasts for the turkey since my family isn’t too fond of turkey. Hoping this tastes as good as it looked before it went into the oven! If it does, I think I’ll tweak it with some poblano peppers, maybe try it with a cheese cream sauce (one that is lower in calories with a Neufchatel cream cheese, Chihuahua cheese, and buttermilk), and definitely some green onions! Great recipe, the house is smelling like a Mexican restaurant already!

Yum! My boyfriend and I just had it for dinner 🙂 I added a little taco seasoning bc I love spicy food. I also crushed up a couple tortilla chips and sprinkled on top right before eating… I know that adds points but I love the crunch!! and of course a dollop of fat free sour cream!

Yum! I had this tonight and modified it as well. I put olive oil in my pan and sauteed half a white onion, a yellow bell pepper, and some garlic. Then added lean turkey meat and browned that seasoning with some cumin, chili powder, and garlic powder. Rather than the tomato sauce, I added salsa and then the enchilada sauce and tossed in a can of green chili’s. Like a previous poster I did this in my cast oron skillet and put it directly into the oven. It was DELISH!

Hey Emily, I’ve got a blog of my own going — more of a personal weight loss story — I’ve been posting the recipes that I’ve tried that I like. Is there any way I could post a few from your website with my personal edits while still giving you credit? I’m not sure how this whole blog thing works…

I see you already posted this one! Sure, the way you did it was perfect. The general rule of thumb is that you take your own pictures, re-write the recipe in your own words and ALWAYS credit the blog where you found it with a direct link to the original recipe on their site. You did great! 🙂

I am a HUGE fan of your recipes! I haven’t looked at other sites in months! Anyway this recipe was delicious! I really enjoyed it and my husband was very impressed! Thanks for all of your hard work! I did add spinach and mushrooms just to get some veggies in there!

I have no idea if this is high in sodium, but the only thing I could imagine that would be making it that way would be the enchilada sauce. You could always make your own or try to find some with lower sodium!

Anonymous replied: — July 28th, 2012 @ 3:35 pm

Actually black beans carry a lot of sodium themselves. I think pinto beans have a little less sodium. Maybe, Kim, you could try those.

Hey Emily I made this recipe last night and it was delicious! Couldn’t believe how simple and yummy it was! Only thing is when I entered it into the WW recipe builder it came out to 11 points. Are you sure each serving is 7 points?

Yup! I’m 100% positive. I just double checked it in the recipe builder and every ingredient I used is in there correctly! As I said in the ingredients, I did use my store brand biscuits, so if you used a different brand maybe yours were a LOT more points?

I made this last night and loved it! I used reduced fat biscuits and also added a can of diced green chiles. The WW recipe builder also put it at 11 points for me. It’s ok though because I found that 1/6 of the recipe is a HUGE serving. Looking forward to leftovers tonight.

I used the store brand biscuits as well-homestyle. I guess I will double check the biscuit nutrition facts because they are not on the WW site and I just selected one of the options that was available. I am really trying to figure out why the points are so high. It was so good.

Made this tonight for dinner…Wonderful! I did however make a rookie mistake and forgot to check the ounce label on my biscuits causing an increase of 2p+ per serving…ack! Good thing I had the extra points to use :o)

Emily, i love your website . . . your recipes, the photos, the commentary, the ease of printing (for most recipes). I made this tonight with a little tweaking. I used leftover rotisserie chicken (breast meat only), and reduced fat crescent rolls since my store didn’t have 7 oz size for reg biscuits. It was amazing! Totally satisfying! Looking forward to making many more of your recipes!!

I am loving your site. I’m thinking about making this but with ground chicken and green chili enchilada sauce and maybe pinto beans (not a fan of red sauce or black beans. lol) So I guess it would be a green chili chicken enchilda bubble up cassarole. lol

Hi Emily! I just recently found your site & love your recipes. They’re so easy to make & use common ingredients which I really enjoy. I tried this one today for the first time & it’s delicious! I had some pico de gallo in my refrigerator & added a little to the recipe & I can’t wait to eat the next serving! Thank you for all of your genius recipe ideas. =)

I love that you divide your recipes into realistic portion sizes! I see a lot of “light” recipes, but for a 9×13 dish, its broken into 12 portions, to make it look like its low-calorie, but at the end of your tiny portion, you’re still starving…which totally defeats the purpose!

So, thank you for making the portion sizes realistic and the perfect amount to satisfy!

WE LOVE YOU! Yes, it’s true! This recipe was a big hit! I told the family I was making a casserole and I got grumbles……..that was until they tasted it. The store was out of ground turkey, so I substituted ground chicken breast and it was delicious! It was a win-win situation for everyone! Thank you!

This recipe is also very easy to make vegan — sub your favorite vegan crumbles for the ground turkey, and find some “accidentally vegan” refrigerator biscuits (Kroger Homestyle is what I buy). I usually add a zucchini to bulk it up a bit more too, and top it with Daiya Vegan Cheese.

Made this for dinner tonight – it was a huge hit! My 3 year old and 18 month old both ate a huge helping, and my husband and I loved it as well. Not too surprised, every one of your recipes that I’ve tried have been great.

Found out about your Blog in a recent Weight Watcher meeting and this is the first recipe I made. I’ve been married for 4 years and been making meals from all types of cookbooks for my hubby and tonight he actually said this is probably the BEST meal I’ve ever made! I followed your recipe exactly as written. Thanks so much for creating a WW friendly dinner that tastes great. We try to eat healthy and it looks like your website is going to be my new “go-to” site for healthy meals that actually taste good. Thanks again for the great tasting and simple recipe! I can’t wait to try another one!!!

Funny, I found out about this at my WW meeting too. I decided to try some new recipes and liven up our dinner routine. My husband said he liked it and I should make it again. I used 6 reduced fat Grand’s biscuits cut up as I figured that would be one biscuit per serving. I even thought about adding some green peppers next time to make it even more filling. This is great comfort food Thank you for sharing this! .

Easy, quick, adaptable and super yummy. It’s a total comfort recipe! My family LOVED it and I am making it for the second time this week. As a side note, I added: onions, green pepper, a little cumin, a little chili powder and a little garlic powder.

I made this for a family Tamale-Cooking Festival/Latin-themed Reunion…I doubled the recipe and used 1.5 cans of the Pillsbury Grandes Reduced fat Whole Grain homestyle muffins for a little more fiber and (slightly) less fat, and cut them into six pieces each. I also added 1 packet of reduced sodium taco mix to the browned meat I increased the baking time to about 40 minutes before I put the cheese on, but it still worked out famously. THANKS SO MUCH, EMILY!!!! ~Anna

We really liked this. Made it with extra lean beef. Added a bit of onion, garlic, cumin, and chili powder to the meat as others suggested. Topped each serving with lite sour cream and scallion after the bake. Great! Could be made with shredded chicken, ground chicken, etc.

I was a little concerned about how this would turn out, but it was really yummy. I added some onion, garlic and cumin to the turkey and used HOT and spicy enchilada sauce and it was really delicious. Can’t wait for leftovers tomorrow!

I was worried how this would taste only because of the biscuits, but I made it for dinner tonight and I loved it and so did the boyfriend! I had to make some homemade enchilada sauce because I forgot a can at the store and I added a can of rotel tomatoes and chilies and it’s amazing. I just got done eating it and my boyfriend is working on his second plate. Love it and I’ll be making it again! Also, SUPER easy to make.

I don’t understand how you got your nutrition facts. I added the calories of each ingredient you listed and got 479 calories for a sixth of a casserole. That portion seems large to me anyway, but for an eighth of a casserole I still got 359… Can you tell me what I’m missing?

I think the variance is dependent upon the biscuits chosen. If you look up the nutrition value on fitness pal, I see some that are as little as: 1 biscuit=100 calories, 4 fat, 14 carbs, 2 proteing and as high as: 1 biscuit=170 calories, 7 fat, 25 carbs, 3 protein. Which ends up being 3 points for one and 5 points for the other.

I think the variance is dependent upon the biscuits chosen. If you look up the nutrition value on fitness pal, I see some that are as little as: 1 biscuit=100 calories, 4 fat, 14 carbs, 2 proteing and as high as: 1 biscuit=170 calories, 7 fat, 25 carbs, 3 protein. Which ends up being 3 points for one and 5 points for the other.

I made this last nite and….it was fantastic! My husband loved it! I added in some green chilies,about 1/2 can of corn,onion and some garlic-garlic(tastefully simple). It made enough that we are haveing left overs for supper tonight. Thanks for all the work you put into posting these recipes.!!

I just made this tonight. Awesome! I used red beans since that is all I had on hand, added corn, onion and an orange bell pepper. Also I made my own sauce. It was great! Even my super picky 8 year old loved it.

I cant believe this!! Im sitting at the table right now enjoying my 10 PP serving! The flavor is absolutely amazing and the portion is a very good/filling size. I’ve tried 3 recipes from this site already and I am absolutely in love!! Thank you so much Emily for sharing your wonderful delights with us!!!

I have loved every recipe I have made of yours, but this one tops them all. YUM!!!! The flavor of this was amazing, and my super picky 4-year-old even ate all I gave her…that hardly ever happens! I did add half of an onion, diced, to the meat while it was browning, and I had half a small can of diced green chilies that I added with the beans and sauces. Super delish! Thanks, Emily!!

Love this recipe….but my biscuits were still doughy. Funny I poked four of them with a toothpick and they seemed okay, but they were still doughy. I accidentally put in more enchilada sauce then called for. Would that affect the biscuits? And I am at high elevation, would that have something to do with it? Still loved it. I think I might make some cornbread with my leftovers and trash the biscuits this time.

Just wanted to comment—had to make a few substitutions as this is one of my all time favorite quick weeknight meals but I found myself lacking both tomato sauce and enchilada sauce. So I did as PP said and subbed salsa for the tomato sauce and then made enchilada sauce out of a can of crushed tomatoes. Still turned out amazing. I absolutely LOVE how versatile all of your recipes are Em!

I made this tonight, skipping the beans but adding cilantro, corn and frozen spinach. It was pretty delicious, except that not all of the biscuit cooked. I’m not sure if I need a high temperature or for it to cook longer. My oven sucks, so maybe both…

Made this tonight for supper, was afraid that the biscuits would be doughy, but they were NOT. My Dad and I are doing Weight Watchers together and he is a picky eater and this recipe was a winner in his book…it got the “you can make that one again” approval! Thanks, love your website 🙂

Made this tonight exactly as per your directions, and it was fantastic! Got a thumb’s up both from my hubby and our picky kiddo! Said kiddo did find it a tiny bit spicy (the enchilada sauce I used was mild, but it must have still had some sick), so I toned hers down for her with a spoonful of light sour cream. Emily, you’ve helped my mealtimes go so much more smoothly. Everything of yours I have made so far is excellent, and everything is so easy to prepare! Oh, for those looking for a good side dish for this, I served it with watermelon and also Warm Mexican Corn Salad, a fantastic recipe I got from another great site–Skinnytaste. It was insanely delicious paired with this!

I had been eying this recipe for months and I finally got around to making it last night and it was well worth the wait. So quick and easy to put together and we loved it! We served it with a dollop of light sour cream and some fresh salsa and tortilla chips.

I want to try this recipe, but prefer green enchilada sauce. What would you recommend I use to replace the tomato sauce ( as I’m thinking it would taste funny with the green sauce & tomato sauce). Thanks!!

I made this tonight and it was awesome. I used 1lb of the super lean ground beef instead of the turkey, a bit of taco seasoning, and I added some onion and corn. It came out incredible. I was totally stuffed after one serving, but it was so good that I could have eaten more. I’m loving these recipes that don’t leave you feeling totally unsatisfied afterwards.

I may have already posted a comment on this a while ago but it’s worth another one. My husband and I give this two big thumbs up!! I usually make it once a week and we both get excited about enchilada casserole night! It’s great as is, but lately I’ve been adding some cornstarch to the mix to make it even thicker and I actually roll out the biscuit dough and lay it on top of the whole mixture so it puffs up and creates this awesome crust across the top of the casserole (like a chicken pot pie). Either way you go, this recipe is wonderful! I’ve also added sriracha sauce to the mix because we like things super spicy and have contemplated adding corn. I just love how versatile it is. I’ve made it so many times that I don’t even have to look at the recipe anymore because I have it memorized!Emily, I’ve never used a single source so many times for recipes as I have with you & your blog. I’ve made way more of your recipes than I have other blogs and even Food Network chefs (Rachael Ray, Giada, etc.) so Thank You!!!!

Phenom! My husband and 3 children (all picky eaters) happily gobbled this up. Woohoo! This time I added corn and in the future will make in my cast iron stock pot to dirty less ditches. Love your site, Emily! Keep up the good work!

Is there any reason it HAS to be transferred to a casserole dish? Can’t I brown the turkey in an oven-safe skillet, then stir everything else into the pan and pop the whole thing in the oven? Makes it a one-pot meal…

Emily Bites replied: — July 26th, 2014 @ 6:52 pm

You could certainly do that. I unfortunately didn’t have an oven-approved skillet at the time this was posted, but go for it!

I sweated a small diced onion in a tablespoon of olive oil, then added a minced garlic clove before adding the turkey to brown. I added some chili powder and ground cumin, as well as some salt and pepper, before adding the sauces. It definitely needed even more chili powder than I used, and maybe some chopped canned green chilis.

Heard about this site from another weight watchers member. I am so glad she shared this web site. I tried this recipe tonight for dinner, it was a success. Made it with shredded chicken breast instead of ground turkey. It was awesome. This is definitely a recipe to repeat.

Emily Bites replied: — July 26th, 2014 @ 6:50 pm

I’m so glad you found me and loved the recipe! Let me know what you make next! 🙂

I’ve made the original recipe & like you felt that it needed something to beef it up a bit. The addition of the black beans was just what it needed!

I made it again with black beans last night. But I added a can of fire roasted diced green chilies (drained) & I sautéed a small diced onion….adding those to the ground turkey. When served I also topped each plate with a little chopped cilantro.

I’m on WW’s & I love your site!!

Emily Bites replied: — July 26th, 2014 @ 6:47 pm

Yay, I’m so glad you love the beans and the other additions you made. Sounds great! Thanks for the love <3

I just made this tonight and it is SO good! I’ve never even had enchiladas before haha so I was a little nervous that I wasn’t going to be into it. I added some onion and bell pepper, green chiles and a bit of “hot and spicy” taco seasoning (I was in the mood for spicy!) and it is REALLY good! I just recently came across your blog Emily and I am so excited about it…you make being on WW really easy with all these great recipes! Thank you!

We enjoyed this recipe. After nearly 25 days of temperatures above 90 degrees, I took the advice of an earlier commenter and used my cast iron skillet on the stove top and then “baked” the dish on my propane grill. Turned out perfectly and saved us several degrees in the kitchen!

Love this recipe! When I found your website, there was no turning back!

I don’t do WW, so I’m not sure how this effects the points. But I love adding a can of corn, chopped onion, and a chopped green bell pepper to give this casserole some more bulk! For the black beans, my favorite are the Cuban style from Trader Joe’s. So delicious! Thanks for always posting such practical recipes!!

I’m guess I could swap the refrigerated biscuit dough on this recipe as well to eliminate the gluten…Or would you suggest cutting up some corn tortillas into triangles and throwing them in instead? I’m trying to still enjoy my favorite recipes of yours but as gluten free versions!

Emily Bites replied: — December 15th, 2014 @ 9:35 am

I have a Chicken Enchilada Skillet that uses cut up tortillas if that might be an easier swap for you: http://www.emilybites.com/2013/06/chicken-enchilada-skillet.html. I honestly don’t know much about gluten free products since I don’t use them myself, so I unfortunately don’t know enough about the gluten free products available to feel confident suggesting GF substitutions. I do think the GF pizza dough you mentioned in another post is worth a shot!

Made this last night and it was very good! After reading other comments I also added onion, jalapeno and bell pepper (all sauteed a little) and I feel like that helped. I also made my own enchilada sauce (hopefully lower in sodium) and added some more spices. My husband and I both enjoyed the dish and are looking forward to leftovers.

I would guess that the people coming up with higher points might be adding 15oz of black beans instead of the cup and a half that comes in a 15oz can, minus the liquid. We have been eating your recipes all week and couldn’t be happier.

Last Saturday was “Emily Day!” I made this casserole, the turkey chili and two of the breakfast cupcake tin recipes (blueberry oatmeal and sausage egg hashbrown cups). This casserole was awesome – it was gobbled up by my family!

Thanks for your wonderful website! I plan my meals around you!

Emily Bites replied: — February 5th, 2015 @ 2:18 pm

I’m so glad it was a hit with the whole family! Thanks for the love <3

Made this tonight…although it had delicious flavor, I had to serve it in bowls because it was more like enchilada soup than casserole :-/ what did I do wrong? Only thing I did differnt was i used low fat croissants instead of biscuits (I figured the PTS and it came to 7pps) couldn’t find appropriate biscuits.

My first time making a recipe from your blog. So good! I am a vegetarian so I didn’t use ground turkey, instead I sauteed mushrooms, onions and tri-color pepper strips. The pp value actually came down a point too, but it was more like a soup. it was so good though! Can’t wait to try more recipes.

This is SO FREAKING DELICIOUS!!!!! Just made this for lunch and it was amazing — tastes like a cheat meal! We will definitely make this again….and again! Thank you!

Modifications: used ground chicken instead of turkey and cooked the meat with red onion and some diced green chiles with garlic powder and cumin seasonings. Since the chicken is extra lean and only 1lb. the points worked out to be the same.

Excellent flavor! My grandson, age 10, (with my assistance) is very excited to make a double batch for his parents, for Mothers Day, and his other grandparents. Our addition to your delicious recipe: black olives.

Emily Bites replied: — May 14th, 2015 @ 7:58 am

Mmm, I love olives – sounds great! I love that you’re cooking it with you grandson!

Oh my, I think I’m the last Weight Watcher to try this recipe, but boy is it good. So simple to make, but really really tasty! Thanks for the recipe. I had it over shredded lettuce and it was just fabulous. I can’t wait to experiment with other versions soon, maybe pizza bubble up next???

My husband and I loved this!!!! Seasoned meat w taco seasoning and jalapeños. Substituted ranch beans for black beans and topped with lettuce and tomatoes. Tasted very similar to Indian taco with the biscuits in the meat. So good!! I just found your web page this month and have loved every recipe I have tried.

Do you think this would freeze well? I am so excited to make this but it’s just me and my incredibly picky 2 year old in my house.

Emily Bites replied: — April 12th, 2016 @ 2:01 pm

Hi Jessica,
I very rarely freeze my leftovers, so I am in no way an expert on freezing. The best way for you to find out is to try freezing it! If you do, please report back in the comments because there are likely other readers wondering the same thing. I’ll appreciate you testing it out! 🙂

I used venison instead of turkey. And silly me didn’t double check before she started cooking and had to use diced tomatoes instead of tomato sauce so to make up for the missing liquid I didn’t drain the beans but now it looks a bit soupy with the biscuits on top and the meat down below. Hope it tastes good though. Excited to taste. I agree if it turns out okay even being soupy, I think some corn and green onions will be added.

Made this last night with a rotisserie chicken (skin removed) and an added can of green chilies and it was to die for! All the boys had seconds. I love the large portion size, it definitely filled me up. Served with RF sour cream on a bed of shredded lettuce.

I made this a few weeks ago and followed the directions exactly as written. Today, I decided to make it with some modifications. I added a bell pepper (orange is what I had on hand), onion, jalapeño with seeds, and cilantro to the meat mixture. Then, I served with shredded lettuce, jalapeño, and a dollop of greek yogurt on top and it was out of this world. It went from good the first time to phenomenal this go round. Thanks for all of the wonderful recipes, Emily!